Counter Guardian

Addy Walker once believed love was supposed to be loud—felt in bedtime stories, laughter in the kitchen, and the warmth of arms that made the world feel safe. That’s how it was before her mother died. Before her father changed. Grief hollowed him out. The man who once teased and protected became a shell—quiet, cold, unreachable. Then came the bottles. The slammed doors. The bruises. Addy, now eighteen, has learned to survive in silence—walking lightly, speaking carefully, hiding her pain beneath long sleeves and polite smiles. She works long hours to keep food on the table while her father sinks deeper into debt and addiction. One night, she comes home to a dark, freezing house—again. The electricity is off. Again. And she knows why. She confronts him, her voice sharper than it’s ever been. He denies it at first, but the truth is already spread across the kitchen counter in final notice bills and losing betting slips. He’d gambled away the electric bill money on a horse. The argument erupts. He screams, she stands her ground. When he slaps her, she doesn’t flinch. Something inside her shifts. She’s done waiting for the man he used to be. Addy packs a bag. She’s leaving—for real this time. No plan. No destination. Just freedom. But as she storms out into the rain, a long, black car pulls up to the curb. A man steps out—tall, broad-shouldered, older. His face is hard, almost frightening in the shadows, but he’s striking. Dangerous. And calm.

The night my in-laws were rushed to the hospital after a car accident, I hurried over to handle the situation. At the payment counter, I swiped my card—only to find that the joint account I shared with my husband had a mere two dollars left. I called my husband, Zarrick Thompson, over and over again. But he never picked up. It wasn't until later that I learned the truth—he had taken our money to celebrate his first love's birthday. Desperate, I borrowed seventy thousand from a friend to save my in-laws. But after they recovered, they flat-out denied everything. My husband, meanwhile, made no attempt to hide his relationship with her. He wanted me gone. To force me into a divorce, he went as far as setting me up—staging an affair, taking photos of me being humiliated. Then he used them to threaten me. Either I walked away with nothing, shouldering all our debts, or he would ruin me completely. I worked endlessly, day and night, to pay it all off. Until, one winter, I collapsed in a frozen alley and never got up again. But when I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of the accident.

(THIS STORY IS COMPLETED) My life was all a lie. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First, my mother tells me my father died when I was a toddler only now, she informs me he was alive all this time until now as he has just been murdered. Then she tells me I am of royal blood and not even from this realm. I was born in a place called Valaisha. Now I am hiding for my life with people my mother called the guardians. After my mother was kidnapped along with everything else, I discovered I had abilities. With my new abilities and the Guardian’s help, one in particular named Galen, is planning a rescue. I hope we will succeed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Follow, Princess Rayana on her and Galan’s adventures and romance. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is a three-book trilogy of exciting adventure, romance, action, new beings, and many different worlds to explore. This Gateway Trilogy has it all. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A/N This was my First Trilogy and might have some Grammar issues. I will re-edit when I can.

Ligaya was a healer-wonderer from the world unknown to the human eye -the Realm of Ibawnon. One day, her realm was put in danger due to the threat that the Malignobons, the evil spirit dwellers, was pushing their way. As her realm's Sole Redeemer, she had the responsibility of protecting everyone from the upcoming danger. But despite having a magnificent amount of zest to counter their enemies, Ligaya could still only do so much without her true zest level. In order to bring her total zest back, she ventured out into the human world to find the one person who's responsible for her incapacity and bring that person with her to their realm to defeat the enemies. That person was Vanness "V" Jalandoni, a rich and famous Engineering student slash basketball team captain of their university. When the two of them finally met, things began to go in shambles. One's intention was different from the other and it all made everything messed up. The human world was so much different from where Ligaya came from and V was making her situation more troublesome. Before she could return to her world, she still needed to convince V to believe her and make him come with her. Would she be able to complete her mission? Or would she just surrender her fight in the human world and go back to her realm before it was too late?

The news spread quickly—my mate, David Jonson, had been promoted to Tactical Analyst and was heading to Texline to take on a new assignment. He proudly shared the news with every member of the pack—everyone except me, his mate. I was the only one he hid the truth from. Why? Because in his eyes, I wasn't a smart mate. My wolf had been badly damaged in the past, so I had a poor memory and I tended to be clingy constantly, something he looked down on with disdain. "I'm really grateful to my best friend, Commander Johnson, who governs in Texas, for recommending me so I could get this promotion." I overheard him say to someone. "As for Pearl? That clingy she-wolf who follows me everywhere—there's no need to tell her. She'll come to Texline looking for me anyway." Hearing his words, I was excited—finally, a chance to prove I had a sharp memory after all. I stormed to my room and began packing my clothes. David had always made decisions without me, often leaving me behind. But this time, I would leave first. I would get to Texline before him, and when he arrived to find me already there, he'd be shocked at how clever I could be. But the next day, when I arrived at the airport, my confidence crumbled. I stood at the counter, suddenly blank. I couldn't remember where I was supposed to go—Texline, Texas, or Tennessee? My damaged memory failed me again. The last flight to Texas was about to depart, and the impatient airport staff didn't want to wait for me. She rolled her eyes and was about to close the gate. Worried I might miss the flight, I gave her a pleading smile and said, "Texas, Miss. I'm going to Texas."

He is my protector, my guardian, my best friend, but what Nathan does not know is that he is also my crush, the love of my life. I have lived in the shadow of my older best friend for so long, the handsome, and ruthless playboy, king of the streets. I have watched him break several women's hearts, using them and dumping them like they don't matter. He calls me his sweet Angel, the only pure thing in his dark world. He does not believe he is capable of loving me the way I deserve to be loved, but I would show Nathan that deep down, he still has a beating heart. Would I find the courage to show him my heart already beats for him? I am VERA.

When we were eight, Kaelen burned down an entire pack territory just to save me. He swore an oath before the Moon Goddess to be with me forever, to never leave my side. Not even his own father could keep us apart. Then, a pregnant human girl reeking of his scent strutted into my office, a smug smirk on her face. "He says you're old and boring," she gloated. "That your scars turn his stomach." He seems to forget that he's the reason I have every last one of them. And I am not some weak woman he can just humiliate.

I die in the corridor of the private hospital my husband established after being forced to give my heart to his true love. Before my death, my six-year-old son tearfully begs him to save me thrice. The first time, he holds my husband's hand and says I'm coughing up blood. My husband sneers. "Looks like she's learned tricks—she knows how to teach children to lie now." Then, he has his bodyguards kick my son out of the ward. The second time, my son grabs his sleeve and says I'm in so much pain that I'm incoherent. My husband frowns. "It's just a heart transplant. The doctor said she won't die." The bodyguards step forward and drag my son out of the ward again. The third time, my son grovels at my husband's feet and grabs his pants, sobbing and saying that I'm already unconscious. My husband is infuriated. He grabs my son by the neck and throws him out of the ward. "I told you Nadia won't die! I'll throw her and you out of the hospital if you come here and disturb Ruby's rest again!" My son gives his most previous item—a guardian angel pendant—to a nurse to save me. The nurse accepts it and arranges for me to be admitted to the last available ward in the hospital. However, Ruby Sharpe has someone stand before it with her pet dog. She says, "Sorry, kiddo. Your father's worried I'll be bored without my dog, so this ward has been set aside for my dog to stay in."

Moans. I hear moans. "Ugh! Faster!" I covered my ears like an innocent child hoping that they would quite down. I ran back down the kitchen and drank a glass of water. I'm not paid enough for this. Thinking back and I was already regretting my life decisions— NOT! Now that I have discovered how much of a big womanizer this fiancée of mine is, I think I now have a reason to dump him. Disguised as his maid is so hard just to get intel unto what his true colors actually are. Honestly wasn't the best idea, but it definitely is the most efficient one. I sat on the counter of the kitchen and rested my head on the table over my folded arms. Perhaps a nap might help innocent me up. Just when slumber finally came, I heard sloppy footsteps coming down the staircase. The "young master" finally finished his business. I went to meet them at the bottom of the stairs to greet his lady friend safety on her way home. "I can't wait for tomorrow night," she said in a seductive tone and batted her lashes on him. I held back my urge to barf. Her arms are all over him as if she was the drunk one when in fact it was my good for nothing fiancé. "You're too loud," Timothee replied as it was his way of rejecting girls. And yes, another girl cried that night. She won't be expecting to sleep with him again. As the lady went out the door, I look at the young master. His hair wet, topless and jeans unbuttoned. "Don't drool over me, scullery maid." And with that he went back up. Jerk!

Marcus P.O.V Catalina Island was the territory of my park and we had been trained not to reveal our identity to humans, but our only fear was the birth of a Primordial Guardian werewolf which was to put an end to all immortals including vampires and werewolves. My time to take the place of my father as the Alpha male was approaching and my park pressured me to go in search of my mate so I made a decision to leave after the autumn camp which the humans hosted but during the camp I found my mate and imprinted on her. 'Alicia' I couldn't forget her name as I brought the news to my father who was the Alpha but while I delivered the message we received a sign that the mortal catalyst who was designed to bear the fatal child had shown up on the Island. I took it on myself to put an end to the mortal catalyst only to realize that she was my mate. I was devastated, I couldn't kill my own mate so I hid it from my park pretending that I was still in search of her. I stayed away from her in order to keep her safe but that wasn't until I realised that my park had known who it was and knowing they were going to kill her I had to send her far away from the Island. I was either going to give her up to a human mate and suffer for the rest of my life, or take her despite the difficulties thereby turning my back on my park, or kill her and myself to save the life of my park.